The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an adjustable plasma spray gun. Specifically, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to an adjustable plasma spray gun including at least one coupler.
Thermal spraying is a coating method wherein powder or other feedstock material is fed into a stream of heated gas produced by a plasmatron or by the combustion of fuel gasses. The hot gas stream entrains the feedstock to which it transfers heat and momentum. The heated feedstock is further impacted onto a surface, where it adheres and solidifies, forming a thermally sprayed coating composed of thin layers or lamellae.
One common method of thermal spraying is plasma spraying. Plasma spraying is typically performed by a plasma torch or gun, which uses a plasma jet to heat or melt the feedstock before propelling it toward a desired surface. Current plasma spray guns operate efficiently (e.g., over 60% efficiency) at one power mode (e.g., 75 kW) and in one position with respect to a specimen. Therefore, when spraying different surfaces and/or different specimens (e.g., at different power requirements), different plasma spray guns, arranged in different positions, may be necessary.